If step 3 fails with error 5120 or 5145, the database is stuck. Use this forced method:
The database is technically online but inaccessible to users. You will see it in SSMS Object Explorer with a yellow warning icon and (Recovery Pending) next to its name. | Cause | Description | |-------|-------------| | Missing or corrupted transaction log file (.ldf) | The log file is deleted, moved, or has sector-level corruption. | | Insufficient disk space | The drive hosting the log file is full, preventing recovery from allocating space for rollback/rollforward. | | Corrupted boot page of the log file | The first page of the log (containing VLH info) is unreadable. | | File system permission issues | SQL Server service account lacks read/write access to the log file or its folder. | | Restore operation interrupted | A RESTORE WITH NORECOVERY was left incomplete, or the restore failed mid-operation. | | Inconsistent file states | Data files and log files are out of sync (e.g., restoring old log onto newer data). | 3. Immediate Diagnostic Steps Run the following queries to assess the situation: recovery pending sql
-- Attempt repair (allow data loss) ALTER DATABASE YourDatabaseName SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE; DBCC CHECKDB (YourDatabaseName, REPAIR_ALLOW_DATA_LOSS); ALTER DATABASE YourDatabaseName SET MULTI_USER; If step 3 fails with error 5120 or
-- Method: Restore with REPLACE and MOVE RESTORE DATABASE YourDatabaseName FROM DISK = 'D:\Backups\YourDatabaseName_full.bak' WITH REPLACE, MOVE 'YourDatabaseName_Data' TO 'D:\Data\YourDatabaseName.mdf', MOVE 'YourDatabaseName_Log' TO 'E:\Logs\YourDatabaseName.ldf', RECOVERY; -- Set emergency mode (bypasses recovery) ALTER DATABASE YourDatabaseName SET EMERGENCY; -- Run consistency check to identify salvageable data DBCC CHECKDB (YourDatabaseName) WITH ALL_ERRORMSGS, NO_INFOMSGS; | Cause | Description | |-------|-------------| | Missing
Unlike RECOVERING (where recovery is actively running) or SUSPECT (where recovery has definitively failed), RECOVERY PENDING means recovery cannot even begin .
1. What is "Recovery Pending"? In SQL Server, a database enters the RECOVERY PENDING state when the database engine recognizes that a recovery operation (either crash recovery or transaction log rollback) needs to occur, but a required resource is unavailable or an error prevents the recovery from starting.